Date:         Thu, 23 Mar 1995 23:14:03 -0500
From: Chris Hagin <chagin@atlanta.com>

DATE: 23 Mar 1995

Statement from Log Cabin Republicans

 The Montana Senate has reversed itself today on an anti-gay vote it held
Tuesday, which would have equated gays and lesbians with murderers and
rapists under state law, after Republican Governor Marc Racicot promised to
line-item veto the provision.

 "We were assured that Governor Racicot would put a stop to this outrageous
bill," said Richard Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, the
nation's largest lesbian and gay Republican organization.  "The Senate
reversed itself because it had no choice."

 Log Cabin Republicans had condemned the Senate vote approving the law,
calling it "big government at its most dangerous," and had coordinated a
national grass-roots response to protest its passage.  Tafel credited Racicot
with being a voice of reason in the debate.

 "The Governor saw how unreasonable this bill was and made his feelings
known," Tafel said.  "We should continue to work to educate our leaders so
that we can avoid legislation like this in the future."